Skincare Shake Up November ’17 Edition

It only feels like a few days since I posted last month’s Skincare Shake Up, but here we are! This month I’ve been battling rosacea flare ups, cold weather, central heating, and a boatload of stress so I’ve been paying extra attention to my skin. In this month’s post, there are some familiar faces below along with some new additions, I hope you enjoy reading about my current skincare routine.

SKINCARE SHAKE UP EVENING ROUTINE

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil has appeared many times on my blog so I won’t repeat myself, but if you want a gentle and speedy way to remove make up then this is brilliant.

I wrote a whole blog post about the amazing new Avène Antirougeurs Clean Cleanser*, so it’s probably easier for you to just read THIS post to get the lowdown. One thing I should say: if you were put off the original range due to the fragrance in the ingredients – good news! – this cleanser (and the mask below) contain no fragrance. Woohoo!

Last month I tried out the cult classic chemical exfoliator toner, Pixi Glow Tonic (read my thoughts HERE) and this month I thought I’d try out the new travel version. Pixi Tonic To Go* is a tub filled with waffle-textured pads pre-soaked in the same Pixi Glow Tonic we know and love. Perfect for holidays or those nights when you’re feeling extra lazy! For those of us that are very sensitive, it might be best to stick with the original version as I think the slightly rough texture of the pads may irritate the most reactive of skins.

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid + B5 is a repeat offender in my Skincare Shake Up posts. It’s ridiculously affordable and makes a visible and tangible difference to my skin.

I have been told by so many facialists and dermatologists that everyone should include an antioxidant in their skincare routine. If you’re looking for an affordable one to try, I’ve been testing out The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3%*. It’s anti-inflammatory, has anti-ageing benefits, helps with the effects of UV damage and pollution, and is especially good for stressed or ‘urban exposed’ skin (so if you live in a city this is one for you)… plus it’s £5.50! It’s a very light oil-serum that sinks in almost immediately but I’ve been mixing it in with the moisturiser below as I’ve heard that it can be a little intense and irritating on dry skin when used alone (I have combination skin but my dry patches are intensely dry, especially in colder weather). After a month my skin looks more glowy but I will report back over the next few months as antioxidant products need a longer trial period.

In the colder months I’m drawn to slightly thicker night creams and the DHC Astaxanthin Collagen All In One Gel* is right up my street. It’s what I refer to as a sturdy cream (when you scoop some out with your finger it leaves a space), but once on the skin it feels light and gel-like. Astaxanthin (pronounced asta-zan-thin btw!) is a super-antioxidant which is considered 6000 times more powerful than Vitamin C! This is one of the nicest moisturisers I’ve tried in a long time plus the pot is HUGE, I’ve used it every night (and some mornings) for a month and I’ve barely made a dent in it.

The Rodial Stem Cell Booster Oil* is another product that’s marketed as an oil but acts more like a serum. Typically with an oil I expect a slightly heavier texture, something that really packs a punch when my skin needs some intense moisture and care. But this ‘oil’ is incredibly lightweight, non-greasy, absorbs into the skin quickly and doesn’t leave my skin feeling smothered. It targets dehydration, fine lines, contains antioxidants (see above for their benefits!) and contains Rosehip oil which is a great ingredient to look out for if you have rosacea/sensitive skin. FYI it does contain fragrance – it smells like an expensive spa which I find very calming just before bed – but thankfully my skin had no problem with it. One negative is that I really don’t like the packaging: it feels very flimsy and needlessly bulky which doesn’t fit with the more luxurious feel of the product, brand, and price point.

Avène Antirougeurs Redness Relief Soothing mask* – as I mentioned in THIS post, I think that this may have rocketed to the top spot in my list of all-time favourite face masks. It’s so lightweight and instantly cools and soothes my skin, taking the heat and horrible itchy feeling out of my skin almost instantly. I’ve had quite a few flare ups this month and this mask has saved me every single time. It might not always stop the flare up, but it makes them a lot more bearable.

SKINCARE SHAKE UP MORNING ROUTINE

The Simple Micellar Water* featured in last month’s Skincare Shake Up (which you can read HERE) and it’s still serving me well. If you’re struggling to break that face wipe habit, try this instead and I promise your skin will thank you!

Whenever I go on the Deciem website I end up losing hours of my life. Everything sounds so amazing and interesting that I could build a wishlist a mile long, but as an oily skinned gal the Hylamide Pore Flush* immediately stood out to me. Anything that regulates oil and helps with the appearance of pores is a winner in my book! I’ve noticed that my pores do look better, especially on my nose where I get a lot of congestion, and my skin is less oily but I’ll continue to use this to see if the results continue. (FYI instead of spraying it directly onto my skin – as instructed – I’ve been applying to a cotton pad and wiping across my face)

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid + B5 – you don’t need to hear me rave about this again, surely?

I’m terribly lazy with eye creams. I think it’s because they typically take a few months to really show any noticeable difference to fine lines and I usually give up before then. But the DHC Beauty Lift Eye Care Essence Roll On* has multiple uses which makes it a lot more likely to stay in my stash. It’s a standard eye cream, in that it targets the fine lines and helps to firm the eye area, but the packaging is what really floats my boat. At one end is a click-button to dispense the product and at the other end are three metal rollerballs that you use to massage the gel into the skin. The combination of massage and the cool metal on the skin drastically takes down my morning eye puffiness and helps my irritated eye area feel soothed. So simple but so clever!

Last time I was in Paris I picked up the Dermagor Erycalm Soothing Cream (FYI I’ve not ordered from this site before). I hadn’t heard of the brand, I’d never seen this cream before, but I saw ‘soothing care for reactive skin’ and into the basket it went! I thought it was going to be like the La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 (which is incredible – thick, emollient, heavy duty moisture if you have intense dry or tight skin) but it’s much lighter. It also leaves a wonderfully matte, soft finish on the skin so it’s great under make up.

And that’s everything from this month’s Skincare Shake Up. A nice blend of affordable and things to splurge on, some old favourites and some new loves. What skincare have you been trying recently? Let me know in the comments, I always love hearing your recommendations!

Lex

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